Favorite shade of brown
by Doodlett
Summary: Hey lovelies! So this is my first entry to the ZaDr week I'm co-hosting! The prompt for day 1 was "Confession", so I pumped out this lil' one-shot. I hope you like it! It's very soft. Also, I'm moving over to AO3 'cause that website's better. This will probably be my last story posted here! Follow me over there, if you want! (Same username)


The cold metal of his base chilled his feet while he walked through it. In fact, the entire base felt cold to his thin, irken bones and Zim was looking forward to settling into the warmth of his nest. That of his nest and that of-

He looked down to his electronic device and his green lips curled into a smile. _Yes, Dib will like this_, he thought as he watched the goat in the "GIF" go limp and fall down a kid's slide over and over again. After this many years, Zim was sure he'd gotten the hang of what goes as human entertainment.

He arrived at his bedroom and walked in. He lift up his head and opened his mouth to announce what was sure to be the highlight of Dib's evening, when-

Zim's mouth snapped shut when his eyes rested on the human. He lowered his antenna and the device in his hand, because Dib was sound asleep.

Zim smiled amused when he realized it couldn't have been Dib's intention to sleep. He was lying on his side, on top of the covers. His glasses were askew on top of his nose and his phone laid on it's back in front of his face, pale fingers still in the places they were holding the device up. Clad in his favorite, washed out pair of pajama pants and a white tank top, Zim could hear the human snoring quietly from where he was standing.

He considered dashing forward and body slamming the man, but with the human's insomniac tendencies in mind, Zim just shrugged and started undressing himself. He stripped to his black underwear before lazily going through a pile of their clothes on the nearby chair. He held one of Dib's orange shirts up to his face and took in the smell. Content, he slipped it over his head. Not straight out of the wash, but not reeking of dead mouse either. Just perfect. Zim slipped on a pair of black socks to finish.

Before moving to the bed, he turned off the lights. The light of his device showing the goat GIF was active just long enough for Zim to find his way to the bed without any trouble. As Zim's knees were planted in the pink mattress, the screen dimmed and the only light source left was a very faint, pink lamp on the ceiling. He always slept with it on, since it made his PAK charge faster. That, and nocturnal bathroom breaks from his spouse.

It didn't seem like Dib was getting up anytime soon, though. As Zim's eyes adjusted themselves to the dark, he cocked his head to the side as he looked at him. He rarely saw him _this _far off. Zim being part robotic, he could fall asleep on his own command. Even if he went to bed later than the human, the human would usually still be up on his phone, or only a little drowsy. Did Zim spend_ that_ long downstairs working tonight?

It didn't matter. He was glad Dib could get some rest. Still wearing a soft smile, the irken shuffled forward on the bed so he could reach Dib's face. He removed his phone first, slipping it out of his fingers and placing it on the nightstand inaudibly.

Next was a more difficult task. He unknowingly stuck out his pointed tongue out in concentration as his thin fingers took hold of the black glasses. Ever so slowly not to wake him up, he pulled it off, being met with a challenge because his head was resting on the frame. He succeeded and let out a puff of air in relief. He placed the glasses on top of the phone, feeling triumphant over this small victory.

He switched his view back to Dib. He had planned on crawling next to him and logging off then and there, but suddenly, something stopped him. His smile faded a little and made way for a more puzzled expression.

Zim suddenly couldn't keep his eyes off the human.

He blinked slowly as his eyebrows wrinkled up. The sudden feeling of memorization wasn't unpleasant, but it was… odd. He had looked at Dib before, close by and far off. Quick, like during their childhood fights, or for longer periods of time, like when they were cuddling or in a deep discussion or-

Or like right now. Yet for some reason, he found himself staring at this face for minutes on end, fascinated magenta eyes scanning over every detail.

His long, black locks were strewn about the pillow messily, the one cowlick reaching the mattress easily. It was still damp from the shower he took a few hours ago and the faint smell of coconut was still picked up by Zim's antenna. He had taken out his piercings, so his ears were little more… _nude_ than they usually were. Zim absent-mindedly counted the freckles, birthmarks and other little imperfections on his skin. Nine in total.

Dib's mouth was a little open and was the source of that soft snoring noise. His lips were pink and so was his tongue, which Zim could catch a glimpse off. His front teeth were barely visible, too. All of it was still, only moving slowly with his breathing. It seemed so innocent, but Zim's lips curled up again when he remembered how much trouble that mouth always caused. Always arguing or screaming about something paranormal. Telling him corny jokes and then laughing about it louder than Zim himself did. Whispering soft, sappy words. Or kissing him.

Lastly, Zim's focussed on his visible eye. It was closed, of course, and still apart from some occasional twitching. The irken's mind started to wander again, to when those eyes are open. It was remarkable how much emotion that caramel color could convey. They were mostly dipped in anger during their childhood, but the past years he'd been getting to know them in more ways than that. Joy, excitement, nerves, disappointment, despair, arousal... even love. That must be Zim's favorite shade of brown. When they locked eyes during times Zim knew, Zim _felt_, that Dib loved him.

And that's when it hit him. The reason for his sudden fascination, the reason why he'd been staring at his sleeping face in the dark for this long. The reason why he had thought of Dib when he saw the goat GIF and the reason why he had taken off his glasses with such care. The reason why he'd rather be here, on this planet, in this base and in this bed, here with Dib, rather than anywhere else in the world.

Zim's eyes were as big as saucers now, staring down in disbelief. His mouth had fully fallen open now, but his lips then met, only to whisper three very, very quiet words:

"…I love him." Zim confessed.

Dead silence returned, apart from the soft snoring. Zim felt his irken heart pound quickly, eyes still fixated on his mate.

"I love him." He repeated to himself, still hushed. It still had to sink in.

But when it did a few seconds later, a smile crept on Zim's face, bigger than it had been all night. He suddenly felt a warmth spread throughout his chest as his antenna vibrated slightly with excitement. Zim's eyes sparkled.

"I love him!"

…aaand that had been too loud. Dib snorted shortly before moving. Zim slapped his hands before his own mouth.

"Shit! No, sorry!" He said, panic muffled behind green hands.

Dib lazily opened one eye, but before he could see anything, Zim had already place a hand on top of his eyes to shield them from their surroundings. He was thankful he had whispered his confession in his native language, so he didn't worry about Dib having understood that, but waking him up hadn't been his intention at all.

"Mnh… Zihm?" Came a very drowsy voice.

"No! No Zim! Shhh shhh go back to sleep!" Zim hissed, now pushing his other hand against Dib's face, too. As if he could forcefully _push_ the sleep back into his boyfriend.

After a few seconds, Dib gave out a soft chuckle. His tired muscles then went up to softly pull on Zim's limbs. Zim swallowed and allowed himself to be pulled downwards.

He immediately curled up when he was wrapped up in Dib's strong arms, the tension almost visibly leaving his body. It was impossible for him _not_ to relax when the human embraced him like this. It was divine.

Dib used the last of his consciousness to plant a soft kiss on top of the green head. He then got comfortable again and allowed his drowsiness to pull him away again. He fell back asleep with a smile on his face.

Zim lied very still, listening to his partner's snoring return slowly. When he was sure Dib was fast asleep again, he got a little more comfortable himself. His green fingers took hold of the front of Dib's tank top, distracted eyes watching the fabric fold into his claws.

_He loved him._


End file.
